Kiel Mead, a lovely and talented designer (of home objects and jewelry) emailed me to alert me to the following ring he saw on Tiffany & Co.’s site:

Which he feels is very similar to his own design, circa 2004-5:

I get emails like this about once a month (not about Tiffany, they just happen to be the latest). It’s not something I write about, but it is something I feel is worth discussing. And, in Kiel Mead’s case, getting a bit pissed off about (I have been in, and abhor, David versus Goliath situations). Maybe more people should go the West Elm route (not that they’re 100% innocent either) and, instead of being “inspired by” someone else’s design, contacting said designer whose creations they admire and properly collaborating. Just a thought.